You have full permission to PLAY and to learn at ECHO's latest traveling exhibit COOL MOVES, opening September 14 and at ECHO through January 6, 2014.

In “COOL MOVES! The Artistry of Motion” you will uncover the beauty of motion that takes part around us every day. Through hands-on experimentation, each interactive exhibit explores how motion in many things can be characterized by simple types: translation vs. rotation, continuous vs. vibrating, and predictable vs. unpredictable.

Zoom a strange car down a track, see a miniature tornado, or use the wind to swirl shimmering water into swirling patterns. Move in front of the Dancing Wall and create a dazzling show of colors and music with the motion of your body. Move magnets into different patterns and let a giant pendulum swing to investigate the unpredictability of chaotic motion. You be the scientist as you play with light and water to form designs of reflection and refraction in a Ripple Tank. Slow down or speed up the motion of a video of different animals and see them swim, fly, jump, and crawl in the most bizarre and breath-taking ways.

Three-wheeled Racers: Zoom! Roll cars with interchangeable rear wheels down a long ramp with an adjustable incline. Which is wackiest? Fastest? Slowest? You’ll see some surprising motion as you observe how different oddly-shaped wheels affect the overall motion of the car.

Giant Pendulum: Set the pendulum swinging, and watch it move around in a crazy, bouncy path. Start it again, and you’ll get another unpredictable path. The pendulum has a magnet mounted to its bottom, and swings over a metal plate with magnets that you can move and flip. Change the pattern of the magnets and swing the pendulum again.

Crazy Pendulums: Explore motion with two different types of pendulums. Start these pendulums gently, and they rock back and forth. Give them a bigger twist, and you’ll see all kinds of unpredictable motion.

Touchable Tornado: Put your hand into the middle of a mini-tornado made of swirling, misty water. Then change the wind speed and see what happens to the motion of the tornado.

Wind Over Water: Make waves and fluid patterns by using air blowers over a tub full of shimmery fluid. The pearly liquid lets you see currents that arise from blowing on the water or moving different objects like toy boats through it. Change the angle of the blower and see what happens.

Animals in Motion: See animals swim, fly, jump, and crawl in the most bizarre and breathtaking ways. A computer kiosk allows you to control the speed of videos of a cheetah, dolphins, owls and other animals in high speed, or slow motion, and even backwards. This exhibit features video donated by the National Geographic Channel.

Swinging Art: Create a piece of art to take home by using two side-by-side pendulums. Like a snowflake, no two drawings are alike. One pendulum holds paper while the other holds a pen. Start the pendulums swinging; then lower the pen and watch your pattern develop on paper.

Ripple Tank: Experiment with changing the speed of the ripple in a shallow pool. Put different shapes in the tank to explore the resulting wave patterns that can be seen as shadows underneath the tank.

Visible Sound Strings: Feel the vibrations and hear the tones produced on a four-string bass. You can also “see” the vibrations of the strings using an adjustable strobe light.

Artistry of Motion Video: Watch as clouds move across the sky, the waterwheel spins around and around, the kangaroo leaps and moves forward, or the waterfall tumbles in a chaotic manner. Accompanying narration describes the different types of motion you are viewing in this beautiful 4-minute video.

Windy Wonders: Suspend a beach ball in mid-air, or try other experiments at “Windy Wonders” by using interchangeable fittings and fabric wind catchers to make different kinds of fluttering, wiggling motion. Try all six combinations!

Air Instrument: Make music out of thin air! Move your hands closer and further away from the “Air Instrument” to control the volume and pitch of these eerie sounds. This unique electronic instrument is called a Theremin.

"COOL MOVES! Artistry of Motion" was developed by the Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY and the Rochester Museum and Science Center in Rochester, NY as part of the TEAMS II (Traveling Exhibits at Museums of Science) collaborative, and was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Other museums in the collaborative include Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, VT; Catawba Science Center in Hickory, N.C.; Discovery Science Center in Rockford, Ill.; Health Adventure in Asheville, NC; and Family Museum of Arts and Science, Bettendorf, IA.